The Gluten-Free Food Report

Gluten free salad dressing packets make life easier for those with Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity

Gluten in salad dressings present a challenge to those eating out.

Salad dressings commonly contain wheat or gluten. At a restaurant it is nearly impossible to determine if their salad dressing is safe. It is just another one of the challenges of eating out faced by those of us with Celiac disease & gluten sensitivity. Trying to maintain a strict gluten-free diet can be frustrating because of these hidden gluten exposure risks. Gluten-free salad dressing packets are a great option that many people on a gluten-free diet are not aware exist.

Croutons on salads commonly present a challenge.

Since croutons are put on most salads and dressings often contain hidden gluten or wheat, having a salad can be dangerous. If your experience is like mine and my patients, it is common to have salads brought out with croutons. This frequently happens despite specifically instructing the restaurant staff you cannot have any croutons on the salad. Some just remove the croutons before representing the salad. Sometimes you only find out after you have eaten part of the salad and find the dreaded gluten bread crumbs. For many who are severely gluten sensitive like my wife and several of my patients, this sets off a cascade of diarrhea, painful abdominal bloating, fatigue, bone and joint pains, headaches and rash over the next several days.

Don't give up eating healthy salads due to free of gluten exposure

Because of the fear of hidden gluten, many give up a healthy and generally safe gluten free meal option because of uncertainty of the salad dressing. However, if you can avoid the crouton fiasco, you can maintain a gluten-free diet while eating salad at restaurants or other gluten uncertain situations. Just bringing your own salad dressing. If you are like my wife, who has Celiac disease and has become accustomed to carrying a very large purse to accommodate small children and our family's gluten free lifestyle, then adding a bottle of salad dressing to the collection of emergency gluten-free snacks isn't that much more to lug around.

Gluten free salad dressing options

For gluten-free salad dressing there is another option to the giant handbag. One that we love is carrying packets of Annie’s Naturals gluten-free salad dressing. The Cowgirl Ranch Dressing by Annie’s Naturals taste great and comes in a generous 1.5 ounce single packet that doesn’t require refrigeration. The packets are not cheap at 79 cents each but they are great to have for salads at restaurants as well as very tasty when dipping gluten free chicken nuggets strips and fresh vegetables. Our kids love dipping foods in the great tasting gluten free Ranch dressing. We all did that just last night.

Purchasing gluten free salad dressing online

The gluten-free website www.glutenfree.com can ship these gluten-free salad dressings packets directly to your home. I highly recommend you try the gluten-free Annie’s Natural Cowgirl Ranch Dressing and order some of their easy to carry and use packets. They also offer gluten-free Caesar and Balsamic Dressing packets. They have several other gluten-free dressings but not all their salad dressing are gluten-free so check their products at www.anniesnaturals.com and as always, read labels closely.

Other gluten free foods and beer!

Read more about the gluten-free chicken nuggets and chicken breast strips, also very tasty with Red Bridge gluten-free beer and gluten-free Ranch dressing, in another issue of the increasingly popular Gluten Free Food Report . Keep up to date with breaking news on the science of the links between food, probiotics, and the digestive system at The Food Doc Journal .

Gluten-free beer: Red Bridge tastes great to Dr. Celiac, the Food Doc

Gluten-free beer that tastes great!

That’s my verdict on Anheuser-Busch’s new gluten-free beer Red Bridge. It is made from sorghum instead of barley. In my opinion it is reminiscent of Fat Tire, my favorite microbrew beer pre-gluten-free days. However, Red Bridge is sweeter, presumably because of the sorghum.

Gluten-free beer that tastes better than regular beer?

Though I never particularly loved beer, frequently not finishing a whole bottle before switching to wine, I actually like Red Bridge. Added to a gluten-free pizza, Red Bridge makes drinking beer both rebellious and enjoyable for me again, without exposing my body to the harmful effects of gluten.

Look Mom, no malt! How about sorghum?

Sorghum has been used for centuries to make beer and other alcoholic beverages in Africa and Asia. However, barley malt is usually added that renders those beers unsafe for people with Celiac disease. Anheuser-Busch’s decision to make a gluten-free sorghum beer with a large distribution is a sign of the continued progress in the advance of the gluten-free diet.

Pop a top of gluten free beer!

So, pop a top of Red Bridge and join me by saying cheers to them for joining an emerging market. Both I and my patients appreciate an opportunity to choose to have a beer, if we like, without the gluten. Let me know your thoughts. For more scientific information about Celiac disease, food allergies and intolerance, colitis, Crohn's disease and probiotics be sure to visit the Food Doc Journal